DEFINITIONS AND EXAMPLES SENTENCES ELEMENTS
1.
Subject
A subject in grammar is the first part in a sentence about which
the second part, the predicate, tells something. The subject performs an
action, or indicates what or whom the sentence is about.
In a declarative sentence, the subject comes before verbs
such as in the phrase, “The bell rings,” in
which the subject “bell” comes before the verb “rings.”
However, in interrogative sentences, a subject follows the auxiliary verb, such
as “Does bell ever ring?” In fact, the subject functions as a noun or a pronoun. For example, in
the sentence, “Momma was preparing our evening meal, and Uncle
Willie leaned on the door sill” (I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou), “Momma” and “Uncle Willie” are both
subjects.
Types of
Subject :
a.
Simple
Subject – In
a simple subject, either a noun or a pronoun does the action. Unlike a complete
subject, it does not need descriptive words or modifiers, but only the main
noun or pronoun.
For example, “Superman saved the people.” Here, “Superman”
is a simple subject.
b.
Complete
Subject – A
complete subject is the main word in the sentence, along with the modifiers
(often adjectives) that describe it.
To determine a complete subject, see all the words modifying
it in this example: “The wise and beautiful woman fell into cold
water.”
In this sentence, “the wise and beautiful woman” is a
complete subject because “woman” did an action, “fell.” The words coming before
“woman” are modifiers, which have described the woman.
c.
Compound
Subject – A
compound subject is a combination of two or more subjects within a sentence.
For example, “The girl and her mother are
planning holidays.”
The underlined part is a compound subject containing two
nouns “girl” and “mother,” and includes the connector “and.” This is a compound
subject because the girl and her mother are doing the action together.
2.
Verb
A verb is an important part of a sentence that describes an occurrence, a mental/physical action,
or existence of a condition or a state (to exist, to be). It originated from
the Latin word verbum, which means “a word.”
A verb is a major part of a predicate in which a thought
cannot convey a complete idea. For instance, in the sentence, “Bailey walked behind the candy counter and leaned on the cash register” (I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou), the predicate is nothing without its
verbs, underlined here.
Types of Verb :
a.
Action
Verbs – These verbs express actions (walk, eat,
give), or possession (own, have, etc.). Action verbs are of two types:
· Transitive Verbs –
These always use direct objects, meaning the noun receives
the action of a verb.
· Intransitive Verbs –
These never use direct or indirect objects.
b.
Linking
Verbs – These verbs do not show action. Rather, they
link a subject to
a noun or an adjective that describes or renames
the subject. This adjective or noun is called a “subject complement.”
c.
Helping
Verbs – These verbs are known as “auxiliary verbs,”
and come before linking verbs, or action of the subject, and convey additional
information about a possibility, such as “can” and “could,” and about time,
such as “has,” “have,” “was,” “were,” and “did,” etc.
d.
Modal
Verbs – These verbs are types of helping or
auxiliary verbs that express possibility, ability, obligation, or permission.
These include may/might, shall/should, can/could, will/would, must/have.
e.
Static
and Dynamic Verbs – These verbs do not show
action, but a state of being. For instance, “Katy feels ill today,” or “She has a fever.”
However, dynamic verbs, contrary to static verbs, show an action, a process, or
a sensation. For example, “He is chasing a bus.”
f.
Regular
and Irregular Verbs – Regular verbs express past
tense or past participle by
adding -d, -ed, or -t at the end of the verb. They are also known as “weak
verbs.” Irregular verbs, on the other hand, do not use common rules for verb
forms.
Usually, they do not have a predictable -ed ending.
g.
Phrasal
Verbs – These verbs do not exist as single words.
They instead use combinations of two or more words intended to create a
different meaning than the original meaning of the verb. For instance, “Sally handed in her
homework on time.”
3.
Complement
Complement is the term used for a word or words that are needed to
complete the meaning of an expression.
Most phrases and clauses will include a complement of some kind. If you can't
remove it from your sentence, then it's likely to be a complement. This is how
complements differ from adjuncts. Adjuncts are optional as they are usually just descriptive.
Complements are not optional. They are essential to ensure understanding.
Examples of Complements
:
Types of
Complements :
a.
Subject Complement.
A
subject complement is the adjective, noun, or pronoun that follows a linking verb. (Examples of linking verbs include to be, to
smell, to seem, to taste, to look.)
Here
are two easy examples of subject complements. (The subject complements are
shaded and the subjects are bold.)
· Lee is
weak.
(Lee is the subject, is is the linking verb, and the
adjective weak is the
subject complement. It tells us something about the subject. It completes the
meaning.)
· John was
a chicken.
(John is the subject, was is the linking verb, and the noun phrase a chicken is the subject complement. It tells us something
about the subject. It completes the meaning.)
b.
Object Complement.
An
object complement is the adjective, noun, or pronoun that follows a direct object (shown in bold) to rename the direct object or state
what it has become.
Here are two easy examples of object complements. (The
subject complements are shaded and the objects are bold.)
· The
vote made John's position untenable.
(Here, John's position is the direct
object of the verb made,
and the adjective untenable is
the object complement that completes the meaning. The adjective untenable tells us something
about the direct object (John's
position). It can't be removed because it completes the meaning. This is
an example of an object complement.)
· We
voted John chairman.
(Here, John is the direct object of the
verb voted, and the noun chairman is the object
complement that completes the meaning. The noun chairman tells us something about the direct object (John). It can't be removed because it
completes the meaning.)
4.
Modifier
In short, a modifier is a describer. A modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that
describes another word, phrase, or clause.
Example of Grammatical Modifier:
·
He is a cute baby.
In this
sentence, “cute” is an adjective modifying the noun, “baby.” The adjective “cute” is a modifier.
“Cute” modifies the type of baby.
Types of Modifiers :
a.
Adjective Modifiers
Adjectives
modify nouns and pronouns. They
modify in that they answer the following questions in relationship to the nouns
they modify,
·
What kind?
- cute
baby
- What
kind of baby? A cute baby.
·
Which one?
·
that baby
·
Which baby? That baby.
·
How many?
·
three babies
·
How many babies? Three babies.
·
How much?
·
enough fruit
·
How much fruit? Enough fruit.
b.
Adverb Modifiers
Adverbs
modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. They modify in that they answer the following
questions in relationship to the nouns they modify,
·
When?
·
arrive tomorrow
·
Arrive when? Tomorrow.
·
Where?
·
dance everywhere
·
Dance where? Everywhere.
·
How often?
·
dance frequently
·
Dance how often? Frequently.
·
How much?
·
answer completely
·
Answer how much? Completely.
c.
Participle Phrases
A
participle phrases is a groups of words that function as adjectives to modify
nouns. Participle phrases begin with a present or past participle.
Participle Phrase
Examples:
·
The boy riding up and down the
street is tired.
·
The underlined participle phrase starts
with the present participle “riding”
·
The participle phrase modifies the noun,
boy
·
The cabinets stuffed to the brim needed
to be organized.
·
The underlined participle phrase starts
with the past participle “stuffed”
·
The participle phrase modifies the noun,
cabinets
d.
Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional
phrases are groups of words that function as adverbs or adjectives to modify.
Prepositional phrases begin with a preposition and end with a noun.
Prepositional
phrases modify,
·
Where?
·
by the lake
·
When?
·
on time
·
Who?
·
with you
·
What?
·
besides the dog
e.
Phrases and Clauses as Modifiers
Single words are
not the only types of modifiers. Phrases and clauses act as modifiers.
Clause Modifier Examples:
·
The boy who was at the store bought
cookies.
·
This is an example of an adjective
clause.
·
The adjective clause is a group of words
that modifies “boy”
Phrase Modifier
Examples:
·
Please take a seat near me.
·
This is an example of a prepositional
phrase.
·
The prepositional phrase is a group of
words that modifies “seat”
TENSES IN ENGLISH
1.
Present
Tense
There are many uses of tense.
In English Grammar, the Present Tense is
used to talk about something that is going on now (currently) or that is true
now and at any time.
Present Tense is of four types:
a.
Simple Present
Tense
The simple present tense uses the same verb form
as the root form of the verb. We use the simple present tense in the
following conditions :
·
To show a fact or something that is always true
·
For activities that are done daily -regularly or
habitually
·
To express thoughts, feelings, opinions and beliefs
·
For an action or event that is planned to happen in the
future
·
Used in news, reported speech such
as in sports commentaries, a narration of books and stories etc
·
It is also used with schedules, plans and programmes
·
It is also used to give instructions
Formulating a Simple Present Tense :
When the singular form of the subject or a singular pronoun is used, the verb is used in the simple
present tense by adding a ‘-s’ to it. Let
us look at some examples,
·
He goes to the library often.
·
When does the flight to Seychelles depart from Mumbai
airport?
·
I always wake up at 6 am.
·
I like chocolates.
b.
Present
Continuous Tense
This tense is used to describe a continued or ongoing action at the
present time. It expresses an action which is in progress at the time of
speaking and has not yet been completed. The Present Continuous Tense is,
therefore, used in the following conditions:
·
As mentioned above, it is used for an action that is
occurring at the time of speaking
·
When an action in the future is mentioned without
specifying when it will occur
·
When we talk about a planned or arranged event or
action that is set to take place at a specified time in the future.
·
It is also used in conditions where the action or event
is occurring but not necessarily while we speak
·
It is used in a changing situation
·
With adverbs such as ‘always’ which describe an action
that happens frequently.
Formulating the Present Continuous Tense
It is formed from the present tense of the auxiliary verb ‘to be’ and the present participle
of the verb ‘-ing’. Examples are,
·
The noise is beginning to give me a headache.
·
I am complaining to his mother about him.
·
Why aren’t you doing your homework, Ravi?
c.
Present
Perfect Tense
The Present Perfect Tense is used in case of repeated
actions, in those actions where the time is not important, and actions that
began in the past but are not finished yet and will probably finish in the
present as we speak. The Present Perfect Tense can be used in the following
scenarios:
·
It is commonly used in actions or events that began in
the past and have continued into the present
·
They are used to show an action that has been completed
·
To indicate a time period that has not yet finished
·
This tense is often used with phrases that begin with
“This is the first” or “second time” and so on.
·
Is used to describe or express an action that is
repeated in the past
·
Used to indicate or describe actions that have been
completed in the recent past
Formulating the Present Perfect Tense
To form the present perfect tense, we need to use the
simple present tense of the auxiliary verb ‘have’ or ‘has’ based on
whether the noun being referred to is plural or singular. The auxiliary verb is
then followed by the past participle of the verb. It can also be written
as: have/has + past participle. Let us see some examples,
·
We have known each other for a very long time.
·
There have been many contenders for this role.
·
Has
there ever been a war during
your lifetime?
·
I have just eaten.
·
We have had the same car for 8 years.
d.
Present
Perfect Continuous Tense
This tense is generally used to describe or indicate an
event that is going on at this moment. The Present Perfect Continuous Tense is
used in the following conditions:
·
It is used to describe an event that began in the past
and is continuing into the future
·
An activity or event that began in the past and is now
over(just recently completed or over)
·
It is also used when there is no mention of time.
Formulating the Present Perfect Continuous Tense
The present perfect continuous tense is made up of two parts:
i.
The present
perfect tense of the verb ‘to be’: ‘have been’ or ‘has been’ and
ii.
The present
participle of the main verb ‘-ing.
Some examples of present perfect continuous tense are,
·
My hands are very
dirty as I have been painting the
walls.
·
They have been trying to contact her.
·
I have been working for them for the last seven months.
·
The party has been going on all night.
2.
Past
Tense
As we can understand from the name, a past tense verb is used
to indicate an action, event or condition that has happened in the past. Each
tense has four aspects that talks about the completion of the event or action
and based on that.
Four types of
past tense verbs:
a.
Simple Past
Tense
The simple past tense is used to indicate or describe
something that happened or existed in the past. The situations or conditions to
use a simple past tense is to:
·
Describe an action, event or condition that
occurred in the past or at a specified time
·
Refer or describe an action that has been completed and
there is no time mentioned.
·
Describe an action or occurrence of an event that is
done repeatedly and regularly.
·
Describe a state of mind in the past or a feeling that
was felt in the past.
·
Refer to someone who has died
·
Describe events that have occurred in quick succession
in the past.
Formulating the Simple Past Tense Verb
To formulate
the simple past tense verb, we add ‘- ed’. For verbs ending in ‘e’, we add ‘-d’
and. However, there are some simple past tense verbs such as cut, put, set etc which remain the
same in the present and past tense. Examples are,
·
He worked at the Cheesecake Factory.
·
I often brought my lunch to school.
b.
Past
Continuous Tense
Past continuous
tense is used to indicate an ongoing event in the past. Other conditions where
past continuous tense is used are:
·
To show that
someone is in the middle of an action. Example: I was calling him
when he came home.
·
Is used to
describe an action taking place when another occurred. Example: While they were painting the door, I was painting the windows.
·
For an action
that was taking place in the past when an interrupted action happened. Example: While he was working
on his laptop, he fell asleep.
Formulating the Past Continuous Tense
The past
continuous tense is formed using the past tense of the
verb to be(was/were) and the present participle verbs ending in
-‘ing’. These two tenses can be used together to indicate that an action
happened while another was in progress.
c.
Past Perfect
Tense
The past perfect tense in a sentence or conversation describes
an event that happened in the past before another event in the simple past
tense was completed in the past. The situations where a Past Perfect Tense
is used are to:
·
Indicate an
event that has occurred and been completed in the past. Example: meenu had borrowed money from the bank to buy her new car.
·
Describe an
event or action which happened before a definite time in the past. Example: we had cleaned up the terrace before the watchman arrived.
·
Describe
an action that happened in the past before another action took place. Example: We had reached their house after the dinner was over.
Past Perfect Tense
is also used to describe a state. Example: Their wives had
become good friends at the wedding. A very important use of
the Past Perfect Tense is that it is used to clarify which event happened
earlier when two actions were completed in the past. Example: I had
read those books that you bought for me.
Formulating the
Past Perfect Tense
The past
perfect tense is formed with the past tense of the auxiliary verb have
i.e which is had and the past participle of the main
verb.
d.
Past Perfect
Continuous Tense.
This tense is used
to describe actions that were going on in the past up until another action in
the past happened. They are often used in the following situations:
·
For an action that has occurred over a period of time
having begun in the past.
·
To describe an action which started and finished in the
past before another past action.
·
It is also regularly used in the reported speech where
the present perfect continuous tense becomes past perfect continuous tense.
Unlike the past
continuous and past perfect tenses, past perfect continuous tense is not used
to indicate state, state of mind or feelings. Examples:
·
I had been
studying.
·
It had
been raining hard for several hours and the streets got flooded.
·
If it had
not been raining, we would have gone to the park.
Formulating the Past Perfect Continuous Tense
This
tense is formed with the past perfect tense of the verb ‘to be’,
which is ‘had been’ and the present participle of the verb i.e ‘-ing’.
3.
Future
Tense
As the name suggests, this form of tense is used for
sentences with a future sense. There are various ways of referring to the
future in English, below are types.
There are four types of future
tense:
a.
Future Progressive Tense
The future continuous or
future progressive tense is used to denote an event that is ongoing in the
future. It is made up of two elements: a simple future of the verb ‘to be’ + the present participle
(-ing). The future progressive tense is used in the following
condition:
·
To extend ourselves in the future
·
To predict future events
·
Ask or inquire about events in the future
·
To refer to events in the future that have a continuous
nature or occur regularly
Examples:
·
I will be gone for an hour.
·
In the afternoon, I’ll still
be stuck in meetings.
·
By October, I will be
swimming like a pro.
·
He will be coming to the
meeting.
·
I will have spent all my
money by this time next year.
b.
Simple Future Tense
·
It is also used to denote facts or events of certainty
·
It is used to give a warning or take a spontaneous
decision
·
To express readiness
·
Make an offer or suggestion using ‘shall’
·
To give an invitation or an order to someone
It can be used in affirmative,
interrogative and negative sentences. Both ‘shall’ and ‘will’ can be
used in simple future tense sentences, but modern English uses ‘Will’ rather
than ‘shall’.
Examples:
·
I’ll prepare dinner.
·
Why won’t you tell her the
truth?
·
It will rain tomorrow.
c.
Future Perfect Tense
The future
perfect tense is a bit complicated as compared to the two types mentioned
above. It is used to refer to an action which will have been completed at some
time in the future.
The
future perfect is composed of two elements: the simple future of the
verb “to have” (will have) + the past participle of the main verb.
It can be used in the affirmative, negative and affirmative and negative of
interrogative sentences.
Examples:
·
By the time you get this letter, I will have left.
·
She will have arrived by lunch.
·
Won’t
they have joined us by 7 pm?
d.
Future Perfect Progressive Tense
This tense is used to describe an event that is
ongoing and will complete sometime in the future. A time reference is used
to indicate the starting time of the event or action or how long it has been
continuing. Commonly used words to indicate time reference are ‘since’ and
‘for’.
The future perfect progressive is composed of two
elements: the main verb in the present
participle(base form of verb + -ing) + Auxilliary verb ‘will
have been’
Examples:
·
They will have been living in
Mumbai for 10 years.
·
You will have been starting
your shop since May.
·
Next year, I will have been
working at this company for one year.
·
I will have been
walking for 3 hours.
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